BAD APPLES
"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." -Ernest Hemingway
Vecchiano, Italy (Earth, circa 1486)
19 year old Laurent L'Andre and 20 year old Alec Derevko walk out of Laurent's lavish bedroom at the villa and follow 30-something Milo Rambaldi down the hallway, as he instructed them to do.
They're going to see yet another one of Rambaldi's surprises. So far, they've learned that Rambaldi, through the power vivid dreams and a steel trap for a brain, has invented mechanical gate systems, air conditioning, refrigeration, and hydro electricity. All discoveries that are well ahead of their time.
And yet, Rambaldi says he can top all those. Laurent and Alec can only wonder as they head to find out just what that wonderful thing is.
Rambaldi walks up to the double doors that lead into his workshop. But before he opens the door, he turns back to Laurent and says "I need you to do something for me." Laurent clasps his hands together at his waist and calmly asks "How can I be of service?"
Amused by Laurent's strict manners, Rambaldi chuckles and says "Relax, this is not a big task. I just need you to fetch an apple from the kitchen. In fact, grab one for yourself and Alec too, I'm sure you're hungry from the trip here."
An innocuous request. And Laurent can't deny that he could use some food right about now. He turns to face the stairwell leading downstairs and asks "Where can I find your kitchen?" Rambaldi, who now is showing signs of containing a laugh, replies "Down the stairs and at the end the hallway to the right. I have a basket set up on the counter."
Laurent gives him a curious look for a moment. Rambaldi almost looks giddy all of the sudden. Perhaps he's just eager to show off his great invention or maybe he has something up his sleeve. Or perhaps he's just plain weird.
Laurent just gives Rambaldi a cordial headnod and walks down the stairs. Meanwhile, Alec follows Rambaldi into the workshop, eager to see what Rambaldi has created.
Laurent makes it down to the first floor and heads right. He passes more rooms, along with more fine furniture, vases, and paintings. Fans of painting will recognize the Donatello and two Benozzo Gozzoli paintings as Laurent walks by them, along with other works from less recognizable painters.
Laurent reaches the end of the hallway and pushes the right door on the set of double doors open, walking into a very large kitchen. This isn't like anything you'd find in a normal home. Numerous cutting and preparing tables, brick ovens, and other professional kitchen features are in the kitchen.
Also in the kitchen are a couple cooks and servants, maybe a dozen, and all of whom are giving Laurent curious looks. Rambaldi hasn't introduced him to these men yet, and they're all suspicious about his presence.
A familiar husky servant enters behind him. It's Franchesco, the one that alerted Rambaldi that his and Alec's rooms were ready. He bellows "Tutti, questo è Laurent L'Andre, uno dei due sicari da Milo Rambaldi per aiutarlo nella sua ricerca e la sicurezza! E 'uno 'Dei Promessa'!" ("Everyone, this is Laurent L'Andre, one of the two assassins hired by Milo Rambaldi to assist him in his research and security! He's one of 'The Promised'".)
Everyone suddenly bows out of reverence. But instead of being flattered, Laurent closes his eyes and lets out a somewhat irritated sigh. He's getting quite tired of the rituals in this place already. He's nothing special, Alec is nothing special. And yet, they're being treated like kings and they've done nothing to deserve it...at least not yet anyway. Laurent is getting very annoyed very quickly.
And what's this about being one of 'The Promised'? Rambaldi said he saw both him and Alec in one of his dreams at the Il Credo Divino compound...just what does Rambaldi have in store for them?
An impatient Laurent says "Sarebbe uno di voi smettere di chinando la testa maledetti e ditemi dove posso trovare le mele?" ("Would one of you stop bowing your damn heads and tell me where I can find the apples?") One of the cooks raises his head. "Vi abbiamo offeso, Promesso Uno?" ("Have we offended you, Promised One?")
Laurent storms around the center table and gets in the cook's face. He's had enough of this. In as sinister of a voice as he can muster, he says "Mele. Ora." ("Apples. Now.") The cook steps to the right and holds his hand out left...to the basket of apples behind him. Laurent should have seen them when he walked in the kitchen. Now instead of feeling irritated, Laurent just feels stupid.
He sighs and tells the cook in a much nicer voice "Grazie." ("Thank you.") Laurent then grabs three of the fresh red apples and walks out of the kitchen, with the rest of the staff still bowing out of reverence.
Part of Laurent's sudden bad mood might have something to do with the fact that he's had a long ride, preceded by little sleep over nerves over this assignment. And yeah, he's hungry too. For centuries, hunger has often been accompanied by crankiness in people. This is no exception, Laurent thinks.
With apples in both hands, he heads back up the steps, going two steps at a time. The sooner he gets to the workshop, the sooner he can eat.
He hits the top of the steps and heads left, past his room, Alec's room, and the room of his designated servant Remo. The door to the workshop is closed, so Laurent cradles the apples in his right arm and opens the right side door with his left.
Laurent takes two steps into the room...
POP! POP! POP!
Those sounds were the apples exploding in his arms like they were bombs. Apple chunks go flying everywhere! But mostly, the chunks land on Laurent, who looks shocked at what just happened.
The normally stoic Alec Derevko busts out laughing at his friend's plight. The sight of Laurent standing there like a statue, with apple chunks all over his white robe, is about the funniest thing Alec has seen in some time.
Laurent just stares blankly at Alec's laughing, then turns left and looks at Rambaldi, who's standing in front of his desk with an amused look of his own. He too has some apple chunks on him from the explosions, but he doesn't seem to mind.
Finally, Laurent looks down at his apple-bombed robe. He holds out his hands and examines the damage for himself. Finally, he asks "Milo...what did you do to me?" Rambaldi asks back "What do you think happened?"
Laurent quickly fires back "Trick apples? Was your cook in on the prank?" Rambaldi chuckles and says "Absolutely not, although I'm sure he's aware of what caused those apples to explode in your arms. Let me show you."
Rambaldi steps aside, and Laurent sees it for himself. The orangish-red ball, hovering and spinning hook-shaped armature on the desk, is about the size of a baseball and apparently spinning on its own. At the end of the armature is a small copper wire being fed from the wall.
Laurent has just seen the Mueller Device for the first time.
Suddenly, the apple chunks have become irrelevant. Laurent creeps towards the Mueller Device, almost hypnotized by it. Alec looks at Laurent and recollects how he felt when he saw the Mueller Device for the first time not a couple minutes ago. He had about the same reaction.
Laurent doesn't say anything for a good minute, just staring at the spinning ball in complete and total bewilderment, astonishment, and wonder.
Finally, Alec snaps his fingers in front of Laurent's face, partly as a joke, but partly because Alec's worried that his friend was really hypnotized. Rambaldi had to do the same thing to him.
Laurent jumps back and shakes his head a few times. He then blinks his dry eyes a few times, which hadn't blinked in about a minute. Then, he turns to Rambaldi, who's looking at Laurent with intrigue over his reaction to the Mueller Device. He asks him "That...what is that?"
Rambaldi eyes his creation and says "It's amazing the kind of reaction this device gets. When I showed the Grand Council of Assassins this very device, and when it caused Bruno De Luca's apple to explode as he was about to take a bite, they were just as stunned as you were. They agreed to allocate your services to me not long after that. I call this device 'Exploding Apple'."
So THAT'S how Rambaldi convinced the stoic sage council of assassins that he needed Alec and him as a pair. This mind-boggling device was more than proof that Rambaldi's credentials as a prophet were legit. It's mind-boggling not only in operation, but appearance.
Now another question comes to Laurent's mind. "How does a spinning ball cause apples to explode?" Rambaldi casually leans back on his desk and says "Inside that spinning ball you're looking at are special chemicals that I have developed that change the properties inside an object, an animal, or even a human. I have not gotten that far yet with human studies, so I can't speak to its effectiveness there. But above all else, this is my favorite invention because of the potential impact it has. I have a few other prototypes, but I like to bring Exploding Apple with me when I need to convince someone that I'm not just another liar that claims to be a prophet. Exploding apples can be quite convincing...and quite humorous." Alec laughs a little at that, which forces Laurent to give him an irritated look.
Laurent looks back at the spinning ball and marvels at it again. "This might be the just the most astonishing thing I've ever seen." Rambaldi cracks a smirk and looks at the ball again. "And yet, this one's only designed to make the white of an apple explosive and the juices the incendiary tool needed to make it explode. The people that other devices like this will affect will think my device is quite astonishing too. We're advancing so fast as a society, but even this...over five hundred years later, will be the most amazing thing that people in even that age will see. But what will be more amazing is what it will be capable of."
Laurent turns a curious eye to Rambaldi. "What are your plans for this device?" Rambaldi thinks for a bit, then puts his hand on Laurent's shoulder. "I'll tell you everything once you have full stomachs. My cooks are getting dinner ready for us. I wasn't going to just let you eat an apple for dinner. You need a real meal. Please, relax for a while, let Remo know if you need anything to drink, and just get comfortable with your new home. Tonight, over drinks, I'll tell you what you want to know. In the meantime, I have to find a servant that can clean up the remains of those apples."
Rambaldi pulls the copper wire out of the device, then quickly grabs a jar with a funnel on top and places it partially under the ball. The ball stops spinning, then explodes in a watery mess, which mostly is collected in the jar. Rambaldi then finds a cap, screws it on top of the jar, and sets the jar next to a couple others that are filled with water.
Then, without saying anything else, he just strolls out of the workshop.
Laurent looks worried now. Alec notices. "You look troubled, Laurent. Did the apples really rattle you that much?" Laurent just glares at the non-functioning Mueller Device, which apparently earned the 'Mueller' part of its name later. "Rambaldi says this thing can eventually affect humans. This particular device exploded an apple. Does he have a device in the works that explodes humans, I wonder?"
Alec snickers a bit. "That doesn't sound like 'suppressing oppression and promoting progress' to me. The council would never have approved..." Laurent turns to Alec quickly. "The council was just as stunned as we were by this thing. And say Milo has nothing but good things planned with this thing. What's to stop another man from altering it for evil later on?" Alec sarcastically says "Well, lacking Rambaldi's intelligence and ability to remember dreams is a pretty significant barrier to me. This will have to be remade later on by men less capable than Rambaldi. Pardon me for having doubts about that."
Laurent just stares at the device, still unsure of what to make of it. Alec pats Laurent on the back and says "Come on, let's unpack our things...and get you a change of clothes." Laurent looks down at his apple-chunked robe and sighs.
He had completely forgot about the apples exploding on him. Only an amazing device like this could make him forget something like apple bombs.
Los Angeles, CA (Elysium)
Just like the last chapter, all the participants at the Kitchen 24 powwow are still there. Rambaldi, Nadia Falk, and Jack Bristow remain in the corner booth, the assassins remain in their positions, and Tom Falk is still at the bar, drinking coffee and chowing on a danish.
Jack is not a very happy camper. "So let me get this straight, Milo. You went behind our backs and sent that nurse to draw our blood...just for record keeping?" Rambaldi takes a sip of water, then says "That pretty much sums it up, yes. I had no ulterior motives."
Nadia tries to be conciliatory. "Jack, I know it's something that would never happen on Earth, but they're very particular about how things work in Elysium. Things like health, disease..." Jack grovels "I don't see why they had to be secretive about this if there were no other motives." He then glares at Rambaldi. "If you wanted to run a paternity test, why weren't you up front about it?"
Rambaldi leans forward. "I know you're not going to like what I'm about to say, but there's certain...delicacies we take with recent arrivals to Elysium. It's not our intention to overwhelm..." Jack leans closer to Rambaldi's face. "You don't want to overwhelm people? Then explain what happened to Nadia a few days ago at the hands of Cesar Martinez, please."
Laurent L'Andre this time comes to Rambaldi's defense. "First, the question on whether you are Nadia's father arose before we learned of The Nine. Our arrival logs are never wrong, and your reason for arrival was listed as 'family'. We need to clear up such discrepancies the moment they're spotted. Second, such an invasion like what we're seeing from The Nine is rare and unprecedented. Atrocities like what happened to Nadia are not supposed to happen here, especially from pigs like Cesar. Quite frankly, we're more disturbed at the lack of security that appears to exist in Hell nowadays. But it has been a long time since we even had contact with that realm, not since the takeover that resulted in the creation of the first Elysian Council of Aristotle, Paris, and Marcus Aurelius."
A cell phone rings at the bar. It's Tom's phone, and he's quick to answer. "Hey Eddie, what's up?"
Back at the table, a disgusted Jack just shakes his head. "What other secretive things to you people do behind our backs? You were all quiet about The Nine until Nadia nearly got raped, what else are you doing for our so-called protection?" No one answers that question. Laurent and Alec Derevko both glance at Rambaldi, who just pretends he didn't hear that question and takes another sip of water.
"Wait, slow down Eddie! What's wrong?"
Everyone's attention now turns to Tom Falk, who has just gotten up out of his stool and now looks extremely concerned as he paces slowly towards them. Nadia stands up and asks "Tom, what is it? What happened?" Tom doesn't pay her attention.
Instead, he hears something on the phone that completely punches him in the gut.
He starts hyperventilating so much that he nearly loses his balance before finding it again on the back of a booth. The phone slips out of his hand, he closes his eyes, breaks into a cold sweat, and fear overtakes him.
Nadia runs over to him. Everyone else also gets up and walks in his general direction.
By the time Nadia gets to Tom, he's just muttering "My poor baby...what have they done?", all the while his lips quiver and tears start to form in his eyes. An extremely concerned Nadia asks "Who's 'they'? What happened, Tom?"
A trembling Tom looks up to Nadia and says "They took Maria! They took Emilio! They took Julieta! They shot and killed Charlie and Jerome! They..." And the tears overtake Tom at this point. It takes all of two seconds after Tom stops for Nadia to scream "OH MY GOD!" and for her to break down into tears as well.
Her daughter, the child she carried in her womb for five months before she died, is now a hostage. And her best friend, the one that she saved from a rapist in Argentina before running away from the orphanage in her teens, is a hostage as well. Poor Emilio, an innocent orphan boy who just wanted a day on a beach with his best friend, is even caught in the middle of this. And to top it all off, two of Tom's friends lost their lives...again. The horror is almost unfathomable to think about.
Jack, looking very much concerned himself, asks "Who took them, Tom?" Tom looks up at Jack and says "Mitch Hayes, Arvin Sloane, and Irina Derevko."
The words "Irina Derevko" force Alec to turn and get in Rambaldi's face. "What do you have to say about that pathetic woman now?" Rambaldi continues to just stare down at the floor, trying to figure out what to make of this, and not acknowledging Alec's comment.
Nadia looks up at Jack and stares at him, looking for answers as to why Irina would do this. This doesn't seem like her. Jack, perhaps sensing what's going through Nadia's mind, says "I...don't know what to say." Even Jack acknowledges that this came out of left field for him, too. An extremely distraught Tom says "I have to get back..."
Tom teleports home, and Nadia, perhaps thinking the same thing, follows him. Jack, Laurent, Alec, Rambaldi, and the other assassins all follow their lead.
San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)
Tom reappears in his house, followed closely by Nadia and everyone else at Kitchen 24.
Eddie Falk immediately looks up from Mitch's letter in the kitchen and notices everyone has gathered. He holds up the letter and says "This is what that piece of shit wrote!" Tom and Nadia immediately run into the kitchen, followed by everyone else.
Tom grabs the letter from Eddie. He starts to read it, along with Nadia.
Tom,
Do you remember the first thing Eduardo Munoz told you when you started in the Anti-Cartel ? "Don't let them break your mind or your spirit. Those things are yours, and no one can break them unless you let them."
I'm here to give a giant middle finger to that line of thinking. Because right now, I'm guessing both your mind and spirit are pretty broken now. Your precious little angels, the women you DIED for, are now gone. Your perfect little world is destroyed once again. Oh, Maria and Nadia are still alive, but how long they stay alive depends on me and you.
I want to give you another quote that I learned to like. It's from Che Guevara. Yes, I believe in irony since he's Argentine and so is your bitch wife...in a way. But I digress. Che once said "The revolution is not an apple that falls when it's ripe. You have to make it fall."
I'm making that apple fall right here and now. This is a revolt, an uprising, a revolution...call it what you want! But above all else, this is retribution for what you've done to us. Julian Sark and Kelly Peyton, two people whose lives you completely wrecked, are currently tracking down something that will be the bane of existence as we know it in this little utopia of yours.
Like you said so many times: "Never underestimate the temper of a Latino gangbanger." And we found a bunch of them that hate your rotten guts. Now, we're having a little trouble locating them after Alec Derevko slayed their leader, Francisco Alvarado, but I have faith in my comrades.
I thought we were a little revolution of our own in the Anti-Cartel: a marauding force against cartels, but yet, we all served a higher power: The U.S. Government. Yeah yeah, we did benefit from skimming from our drug and weapon raids, so the CIA weren't the only ones to enjoy the spoils. I knew you and Mike and others were skimming and I couldn't have cared less because I was stealing myself. No wonder you looked up to me so much: we both think alike in a lot of ways. And we can both be brutal...although it took me longer to learn how to be a heartless wretch than you.
And yet, despite what I did, your naïve ass pulled me away from cubicle hell and gave me a job as your right hand man in Storm Crew! Oh, your loyalty knows no bounds! But so does your naivety.
You seriously thought two of our former colleagues guarding your home would be enough to stop us? Hell, they couldn't stop me! I was so happy when Sloane told me to use deadly force today...Irina Derevko wanted to us to be nice abductors for some stupid reason.
So I hope you're sitting in your house, all alone, and your holding the remaining pieces of your mind and spirit in your hands along with this letter.
You won't find us, so don't even try. We know how to contact you with further instructions. Stay tuned.
Your "mentor",
Mitch
Tom flips the paper over and reads the back.
P.S. Well, I guess that wasn't Nadia I saw after all. So I'm guessing her heart is broke now, too. My boss will be happy to hear that. We have the orphan mother along with the boy, too. Juliete or whatever her name is knows that the kids are dead if she teleports to safety.
The message remains the same. Don't call us, we'll call you.
Tom and Nadia both knew something was amiss when Mitch mentioned he took Nadia as well. But the P.S on the back and the different ink that it was written in tells them that Mitch wrote this before he actually completed his task and had to pull a little mea culpa with what he wrote in the back.
Tom sets the letter back on the table, then gives it a thousand yard stare. Nadia also looks lost in thought.
"Can I have a look?"
Both Tom and Nadia jump a bit, their thought processes over Julieta, Maria, Emilio, and the once-again-deceased Charlie and Jerome broken by Laurent L'Andre's calm request.
Tom hands Laurent the letter. Alec and Rambaldi look at it together with him.
Jack, seeing as there's no more hovering room, asks "What did the letter say?" Tom thinks a bit, and then says "Mitch wants to break my heart as well as Nadia's. He's a vengeful son of a bitch and was happy to do what he did. He says Sloane gave him the orders to go ahead..." Nadia cuts him off with a point that intrigued her. "He says that Sloane authorized him to use deadly force on Charlie and Jerome, and that Irina didn't want to go that route." A smirking Alec, still reading the letter, says "Sounds like she got overruled."
The smirk rubs Tom the wrong way. "MY CHILD JUST GOT ABDUCTED! THIS IS NOTHING TO BE HAPPY ABOUT, YOU PRICK!" Alec looks up from the letter and gives Tom a bloodthirsty sneer. Eddie, Nadia, Rambaldi, and Laurent all position themselves between the two.
And much to everyone's surprise, it's Laurent that defends Tom. "Alec, he is right. There is nothing to smile about when it comes to this situation. Two lives were lost today and three more hang in the balance. This is not the time for crass statements." Alec hangs his head, smacks his lips, and guiltily nods. "Please, accept my apologies Tom." Tom just flatly says "Fine, whatever. Accepted."
Everyone relaxes a bit. Jack turns to Alec and asks "What exactly is your issue with Irina Derevko? She did nothing to you personally." Alec coldly replies "Yes she has. She has disgraced me and my name. I was her seedbearer, and her failures as a human are also mine. She's a treacherous dog who only serves herself." Rambaldi inquires "And yet...Mitch says that Irina wanted to address this delicately and didn't want to take any lives. Why would she do that?" Alec snaps back "To deceive us into thinking that she gives a damn about others." Jack quickly replies "She's always been funny when it comes to family. Remember, Maria is her granddaughter, and I'm sure she knows this."
Jack raises a point even Alec can't dispute. He, and everyone else in the room, knows that there is probably a 99.9% chance that Irina knows Maria is her granddaughter. She was always careful around Sydney (except for her fit of Horizon madness at the end of her life), she treated Nadia with nothing but love in their brief encounters when they were alive, and even took precautions to make sure Sydney's daughter Isabelle wasn't hurt in the womb when Sydney was held captive.
Tom then points out "She's been in Hell for over five years. What does she have to lose by cashing in on her family friendly reputation and betraying us?" Laurent then points out "Remember, it was Sloane that gave the orders to move ahead...it's possible that this abduction may have been his idea to begin with." Alec then replies "And she went ahead with it, which proves nothing about her innocence!"
Alec then turns and gives Nadia a curious look. She's the only one besides Eddie that hasn't piped up about the subect of Irina Derevko. She did somewhat defend Irina at the diner, but she's been mum since leaving. He asks her "Nadia, what do you think about this?" Nadia, who actually wandered over to the fridge in deep thought and concern over her daughter, looks up at Alec and asks "Why are you asking me?" Alec replies "Because you're a Derevko like me, and you are Irina's daughter. I'm curious what my descendent thinks about what Irina is doing."
Nadia thinks about that for a bit, but she's not in the right mind to decipher what's going through Irina's mind. She quickly shakes her head and says "I can't think about that right now. I just want to go find my daughter!" Jack quickly volunteers "I'll help you." Relief washes over Nadia's face at Jack's willingness to help. After all, Maria is Jacks' granddaughter, too.
Laurent then turns to the half-dozen other assassins that are still in the living room. There were a couple more, but two went outside to guard. He then turns back to Nadia and says "We can have two assassins accompany you if you like."
Suddenly, a giant light bulb goes off in Nadia's head. Il Credo Divino...Tom turned their assistance down after what went down with Cesar Martinez! Could they have prevented this?
Nadia forms a look of shock as she suddenly remembers that detail. She turns her gaze at Tom and suddenly, the sight of his face forces the fire to bellow up in her. She takes a couple slow, angry steps towards him, causing him to back up until his back hits the breakfast bar, concerned about the death stare he's getting from Nadia.
Nadia stops, then turns to Alec. "Ok, let me ask your opinion on this: say my husband decided to not be vindictive and accept Laurent's offer of protection when Cesar attacked me..." Tom holds up his hand and says "Nadia, I wasn't..." Nadia quickly turns to Tom and screams "SHUT UP!" Tom does just that and now is almost scared of his wife, realizing that she's probably really pissed at him now.
Nadia continues. "...say he accepted your offer of protection, would what happened today have happened?" Alec mulls that over for a bit, then flatly replies "No." Nadia's eyes bug out. "No? Could you please unpack that a little?" Laurent takes over for Alec, being the more conscientious speaker of the two. "I cannot speak definitively, but the operation that was conducted today may not have happened as it did. We would have had six assassins patrolling this house at any given time, no more, no less. We would have had orders to kill upon sight. Mitch having a gun might have helped his cause, but we would still have had the tactical, experience, and numbers advantage. However, with our presence here in plain sight, they might have just ambushed us with Francisco Alvarado's army, but I believe if they truly did control that army, they would have struck by now."
This could have been averted. That's the bottom line for Nadia right now. She closes her eyes, and tears squeeze out of them as she shakes out of anger. Tom notices and calmly says "Nadia, I thought I..." Nadia cuts him off with furious anger. "God damn you and your thoughts! You KNOW that Il Credo Divino would have protected us better than Storm Crew! They have the numbers to keep us safe! And they kill people for a living! That's what they do! That's ALL they do!" Laurent, a little offended at that last part, says "Hey, that's not..."
Nadia continues her wonton attack anyway. "This would not have happened if you hadn't denied Laurent's offer, Tom! Because you had to get all macho and not realize that Laurent ended up saving my damn life! Our baby girl, my best friend, and a poor little orphan boy is missing BECAUSE OF YOU GOD DAMMIT!" Nadia takes a swing at Tom, which he's able to evade just barely before her fist connects with his left jaw. She goes to take another swing, but is held back by Jack and Laurent.
She tries to fight out of their grasp at first, but after a couple seconds, she just stops and breaks down into a hopeless sob, muttering "You bastard..." at Tom in between sobs. Jack escorts Nadia out of the kitchen and down to the bedroom so she can cool off.
For Nadia, this has been brewing ever since Cesar's assault on her. Not the hostility at Tom, but the anger and frustration that had been simmering under the surface over the assault, the lies about Elysium she was just made privy to, and most of all, the truth about her father being Jack and not Sloane. And now this...just when she thought things couldn't get any worse. Everything has hit her at once and she can't keep it bottled up inside anymore.
Meanwhile, Tom's standing like a statue in the middle of the kitchen, staring down at the floor and reflecting on what just went down. His wife just took a swing at him! In the 5-plus years they've been together, Nadia's never raised a hand to him. She's never been that mad at him, and vice versa. Sure, they quibble like any married couple, but this kind of hostility has never shown its face before. For Nadia to try to knock his block off...Tom realizes he really has messed up.
Eddie walks up to him and asks "Are you alright?" Eddie goes to put a hand on Tom's shoulder, but the mere touch of Eddie's hand forces Tom to fall backward into the end of the breakfast bar with a loud thud, near where Mitch laid his note down, and just sink hopelessly to the ground with his back sliding down the bar.
He sits with his knees up on the ground, lays his arms across his knees, and buries his head in his arms. With his voice muffled, he tearfully says "She's right. She's absolutely right. I put Maria in jeopardy because I'm a total asshole. I pushed Laurent away and look what it got me...look what it got Maria." Eddie tries to find some words of comfort for his brother, but he's not the best at these things, so the words don't come to him. Instead, he turns to Laurent and says "You did dangle Nadia's well-being out there. I'd find it hard to trust you, too."
As a look of dismay forms on Laurent's face, Rambaldi tries to inject some reason here. "Laurent's actions with Cesar did come with some risk, but it's a risk that I trusted him to take. I have trusted him with my security as well as the security of Elysium for over five centuries. When he broached the idea of shadowing you and taking risks to glean more information about Sloane's plot, I knew it would be risky. But Laurent has yet to fail me." Tom looks up at Rambaldi and says "But he let Cesar get his filthy hands on my wife!" Alec sides with Tom on this one. "I would not have let Cesar get as far as he did. But then, we'd have less information on this plan of theirs as well."
Laurent walks over to Tom and squats down in front of him. Instead of the icy glare that he gave Tom at the diner not a half hour ago, Laurent looks humbled instead. "Tom, I formally apologize for delaying my assassination of Cesar Martinez. At the time, I was willing to discard some ethics for information, but upon retrospect, it was foolish. What I did goes against what I was trained to do as an assassin. I was a desperate man, and because of that I lost your trust. I don't apologize often for what I have done in life, but I feel a little responsible for what happened today because I betrayed your trust. This could have prevented had I been here, and my actions disqualified me from protecting your family. So please, accept my apologies."
Tom studies Laurent's face for a bit. The apology did come across as sincere. And perhaps Laurent's intentions were in the right place that day. He knows Laurent well enough to know that he shares Tom's devotion to family, and he wouldn't seek to hurt Nadia. Besides, it was Laurent that delivered a newborn-age Maria to Tom and Nadia shortly after Tom died from The Tonic. He does owe him a lot of gratitude for that as well as Laurent's tireless hunting of Maria's fetus. He could use his help again to find and protect Maria once again.
But still, the fact remains that Maria is gone by his decision. Still depressed over that, he says "I accept your apology...only if you accept my apology for my actions that day. If it weren't for you, me and Nadia wouldn't have Maria in our lives. I won't ever forget what you did to find her. So do we have a truce?" Tom extends his hand for a handshake.
Laurent gives Tom a serious headnod, accepting the apology and offer of truce, and returns the handshake...and pulls Tom up to his feet, surprising him a bit, if only for a moment. Tom forgot how great of shape Laurent is physically.
With hands still clinched, Tom asks "The offer of protection...is that still on the table?" Laurent bows his head toward Tom. "Il Credo Divino is at your service." Tom nods and says "Alright...I need security at this house for sure. Give Nadia and Jack an escort today. I have to go talk to Mom about what's going on..."
Eddie asks "Should Mom have security?" Tom shakes his head quickly. "No, I have a feeling she's going to be spending a lot more time at the orphanage with Julieta missing...a couple assassins there would be nice. Besides that, I highly doubt she's a serious target. If she felt like she was in danger, she would have told us."
Oh if they only knew Irina paid Mary Falk a visit a couple days ago.
Continuing, Tom says "And if we sent guards to her parent's house against her will, we wouldn't hear the end of it." Eddie lets out a quick chuckle. Mary Falk does have a temper, especially when others try to tell her what's best for her.
Laurent nods and says "All of what you requested, Tom, will be done. The assassins here will stay here until relieved. There will be 24/7 protection here and at the orphanage. We'll need a list of accepted visitors at both..."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! "MISTER TOM! MISSES NADIA!"
The knocking and the screaming is coming from the front door. Tom quickly runs to the door, but an assassin opens it for him. An elderly Mexican woman is standing at the front door, frantic over something.
Behind her, the two assassins stationed outside have unsheathed their hidden blades, but stand waiting for orders from Laurent.
As Tom reaches the front door, Nadia re-emerges from the bedroom with Jack. She still looks like an emotional wreck. Laurent reaches the front door too and, upon seeing the assassins ready to pounce on this frantic woman, casually lowers his right hand, ordering the assassins to stand down.
The woman, not paying any of that any notice, says "I saw what happened! I saw them take Julieta and the kids!" Tom calmly says "Rosita, calm down. Please, tell me what happened."
Rosita is Tom and Nadia's neighbor to the right. She, along with the Falks, are among the only residents in this neighborhood. 90% of homes in this neighborhood are vacant because their Earth tenants haven't arrived in Elysium yet.
Rosita takes a deep breath and says "A man walked them out at gunpoint. They looked so frightened!" Nadia asks "Where did they go?"
Rosita turns and points. "They all got in a white minivan and went that way!" She's pointing to the left, towards the neighborhood entrance. Tom asks "Can you describe the van?" Rosita replies "It looked like it was late 90's...I got a partial plate number!" Laurent's eyebrows shoot up. "Can you tell us the plate number?" Rosita replies "D-Z-9. Those were the first three numbers, that's all I got. Oh, and there was a broken taillight...the left one!"
Nadia turns to Jack and says "Come on, we have to go!" Jack nods and follows Nadia out. Tom says "Nadia?" Nadia stops at the door and turns to Tom, giving him a somewhat perturbed look and saying nothing. Tom hopefully says "Good luck. I'll let my mom know what's going on." Nadia just keeps her icy glare at him and says nothing. After a few seconds, she heads to the garage with Jack.
As Tom realizes that Nadia's still angry with him, Laurent turns to the two assassins outside and says "Join them. When you're done, have them take you to the orphanage. You will handle security there until relief comes." The assassins cordially bow to Laurent, then jog to the garage and leave with Jack and Nadia. Rosita, meanwhile, says "If there's anything I can do..." Laurent kindly says "You've already helped plenty, my lady. You may return home. We are grateful for your assistance." Rosita solemnly nods and returns home.
Eddie then remembers something. "Hey, where's your cell phone?" Tom paws at his pockets, then rolls his eyes. "Dammit, I dropped it at the diner." Eddie then says "I only ask because you should tell Coop and the rest of Storm Crew what happened so they don't come here in relief of Charlie and Jerome."
Tom closes his eyes and a look of fear forms on his face. He sent six Storm Crew members to Elysium when he tripped over a wire in Torino, thanks mostly to Mitch's deceit. And now, he's got to break the news that two members have been erased from a peaceful afterlife because he put them in harms way.
Eddie pats Tom in the back and says "Come on, have them meet us at the orphanage. It'll be easier to tell them in person." Tom just nods, then teleports with Eddie to fetch the cell phone and break the news to their mother.
? (Elysium)
A still frightened Julieta Romero, Maria Falk, and Emilio Ortega follow Mitch Hayes down the hallway, with Irina Derevko and her stolen and silencer-aided Glock pistol in hand and pointed at their backs.
They're in what obviously was a kitchen in a past life. The walls are all white, with various freezers, cooking areas, and offices being passed by the frightened trio. Perhaps this is a restaurant, but that's not 100% clear.
Suddenly, Mitch stops and turns to Julieta. "You, in there." He holds his arm out to the right, towards an office room. Julieta looks in and sees a cot set up, along with the room to a private bathroom in the back. Everything in there looks non-descript. But still, Julieta shakes her head. "I want to stay with the kids."
Mitch forms a sarcastic look on his face. "And I want to make love to Salma Hayek! But I don't really have a choice there, and you don't have a choice here! Get in!" Julieta goes to protest, but feels the barrel of Irina's gun on the back of her head suddenly.
Julieta remembers the conversation she had with Irina in the van while Mitch ran back in Tom and Nadia's house. Julieta WANTS to think that Irina has their best interests in mind, but she can't really figure out why Irina made the speech she did. Why go through these motions when you want to actually protect the people you're abducting? That part makes no sense to her.
But Irina putting the gun on her, signaling that she better get moving, could be a protective measure. From what she knows of Mitch, Julieta thinks that Mitch is probably missing a screw or two upstairs. So Irina motioning for her to get in her room before getting into a spat with a crazy person might be a protective measure.
Or maybe Irina just wants her to believe that she's protecting them. Maybe she knows the trust issues Julieta had in the past. Or maybe not. It's all so confusing for Julieta.
Maybe Irina wants her thinking herself into circles like this. But why? That requires more thinking in circles, too. But it looks like Julieta will have time to sort out that tangled mess in her mind.
So Julieta does as instructed and goes into the office room. Mitch closes the door and locks it with a key.
Little Maria asks Mitch "Why can't we stay with Julieta?" Before Mitch gets snappy with them, Irina calmly says "Because that's the way it works. Your room is next door." Irina then looks back up at Mitch and motions him to proceed down the hallway. Mitch has a look on his face like he didn't particularly appreciate being cut off, but he grudgingly goes down the hallway anyway.
They only go maybe a couple feet before stopping at the next door down from Julieta's. Mitch motions to the door and says "There's your room." Maria and Emilio look in and see a similar setup to Julieta's room: a non-descript room with no windows, two cots and a bathroom.
Speaking of the bathroom, Irina asks "You two don't need any help in the bathroom, do you?" Maria looks up at Irina with a confused look. "Huh?" Irina replies "I mean, does your mother or father..." Irina turns to Emilio. "...or Julieta need to help you?" Emilio says "Sometimes." Maria nods in agreement.
Irina looks over at Mitch. "When they need to go to the bathroom, have Julieta help. Keep an eye on them." Mitch gives Irina an incredulous look. "So they can latch on to her and teleport to freedom? No way!" Irina shakes her head. "One kid at a time. Julieta won't leave the other behind." Mitch then says "But she'll see their room, she'll be able to teleport to their room when we're not watching."
Irina sighs and thinks for a bit about this quandary. Then, she says "Take each kid to her room. Make sure she never leaves it, and that both kids aren't in the room with her at one time." Mitch quickly says "I'll need a gun." Irina shakes her head quickly. "After what you pulled today, the only gun you'll be holding will be the one you make with your fingers. I wouldn't trust you with a blender." Mitch takes a deep breath to suppress the anger that swells up in him after what Irina just said, but bites his tongue.
Irina looks down at the kids and says "Get in. I'll be in in a little while to discuss dinner." She gives them a bit of a nudge, and they walk into the room obediently. Mitch drops the plastic bag with their Leapfrog game in it inside the door, closes it and locks it with another key.
Mitch then asks Irina "Alright, now what?" Irina points to a chair between the two rooms and sternly "Sit. That's what."
Mitch raises a curious eyebrow at Irina. "I'm sorry, am I the hostage here or are they?" Irina turns to face Mitch completely and says "Who chose you before we crossed the portal?" Mitch says "You, but..." Irina cuts him off. "Whose orders were you supposed to follow?" Mitch sighs and says "You, but Irina..." Irina holds up a hand. "Shut up! As far as I'm concerned, what you did today was the last time you make any important decisions without my explicit consent."
Irina then turns around to a table behind her and grabs an iPad. She turns it on and hands it to Mitch. On the screen shows the two rooms where Julieta and Maria/Emilio are. The cameras are apparently positioned above the doorways. Julieta is shown examining her surroundings while Emilio and Maria are just sitting next together, unsure what to do.
Irina tells Mitch "Keep an eye on them. If Julieta somehow bounces into their room without informing you, make sure she knows better. BUT DO NOT USE FORCE!" Mitch just truculently shakes his head and says "Whatever."
Irina then asks "Do you know why I didn't want to use force today?" Mitch lets out a laugh and says "This will be good." Irina replies "Because we don't want force used on us when we lure their loved ones in. Il Credo Divino has been out of play since Cesar's rogue actions, but now they may be back. I don't now how deep their numbers are, but if they're even half of what Francisco's army is, we may be screwed."
Mitch curiously asks "Really? It's not like those gangbangers don't know how to fight." Irina shakes her head. "No, they're probably fine in their own right, and their time in Hell has probably made them even more hostile. But these assassins have been trained killers for centuries. And in a realm where guns are in short supply, if it comes down to hand on hand combat with Il Credo Divino involved, we're done for. So you had better hope that you just didn't sign our death warrants today."
Mitch says nothing, staring at the iPad screen while reflecting on what Irina had to say. After a little while, he just nods, seeing the wisdom in trying to not incite a band of killers. Plus, there's still Tom Falk to deal with. However, based on reports he's received from Irina, Tom appears to be a little calmer and peaceful nowadays with his new role in Elysium as a New Arrival Counselor. But still, Mitch finds it hard to believe that Tom has been completely neutralized.
Irina then turns and starts walking towards the door they entered. She pulls out her cell phone from her pocket and opens it up. She scrolls through her contacts until she gets to "Blackbird", the nickname of Mary Falk. She opens up a text messaging window, but doesn't input anything. She thinks about sending Mary a message...and then decides to wait as she reaches the door.
As she puts the phone away, Arvin Sloane arrives. An interesting conversation was sure to follow.
San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)
Nadia drives the black Cadillac down the beach road, with Jack Bristow in the passenger's seat and two Il Credo Divino assassins in the backseat.
The sun is starting to set, meaning visibility will soon be hampered. It's been a long few hours for the four, who have been searching pretty much every nook and cranny of this small Mexican beach town. Being a small beach town means that it doesn't take terribly long to explore. There isn't another town for a few dozen miles any way you go, and even still, San Felipe is the biggest town in the region.
But nothing turned up in the downtown area, and now Nadia's driving on the northern outskirts of town, a bit further up the coast from her neighborhood. They're now looking in the opposite direction that Rosita, their frantic neighbor, said that Irina went.
Nadia's just about lost hope that her daughter, her best friend, and the poor orphan boy caught in the middle of all this are still in the area.
But she would be wrong to lose hope, because suddenly, an assassin yells out "Nadia! Back up! I think I saw something!"
Nadia slams on the brakes in the middle of the road and throws the car into reverse. She goes back about a hundred feet until she sees what the assassin sees on the right side, somewhat obscured by tall grass and shrubs that help separate the road from the beach and sitting parked between two dunes that help barricade the ocean from the road.
It's the white van, with the left taillight broken and rear license plate numbers starting at D-Z-9.
Nadia pulls the car off the road and quickly hops out, with Jack and the assassins in tow.
Before they can go any further, the assassin that spotted the car says "Wait here! It could be a trap!" Nadia and Jack hover near the passenger's side door while the two assassins mill around the van area, hidden blades brandished and ready to strike should an ambush be waiting.
But there would be nothing there besides the van, sand, and tall grass. After about a minute, one of the assassins waves them over to the van. Nadia and Jack jog over and start to examine the van.
They open the side door and look inside. Nothing jumps out at them except for the fact that the seat that Julieta sat in is still buckled in. But they don't know that it was Julieta that was sitting there.
Jack examines the front seats and finds nothing of note. The assassins keep watch outside.
But Nadia goes to the backseat, where Emilio and Maria were seated, and discovers something that makes her very distressed.
A pink butterfly hair clip, the one that Maria was wearing on the back of her head, is lying on the seat.
Nadia picks up the hairclip and examines it. There's a long piece of black hair caught in the spring. That just confirms to Nadia that her 5-year old daughter was sitting right here.
She closes her right fist around the barrette and holds it up to her heart. Maria was here. But she's not now. Nadia only has this little piece of her, and this is making her tear up.
She lets out a whimper, which Jack catches on to at the front seat. "You found something?" Nadia turns around all teary-eyed and says "Maria's butterfly barrette. She was sitting back here!"
Jack squeezes between the front and middle seats to sit next to Nadia, who has now started the waterworks fully over her missing daughter. He cautiously puts an arm around her while Nadia hangs her head and sobs.
Jack feels a little unsure about what to do at first. He's holding a sobbing Nadia, a woman who he just found out is HIS daughter. By virtue of Nadia being his daughter, that means Maria is his granddaughter...his own flesh and blood too.
It's starting to sink in for him that he'll do anything to find Maria, Julieta, and Emilio. Were it Sydney in his arms, and Isabelle missing, there'd be no doubt in his mind that he wouldn't stop until they were found.
This is family, and family is everything to Jack.
But in the meantime, Nadia's still distraught. Since the big revelation is still fresh, Jack's a little unsure about how much compassion he should be showing right now. Does he squeeze her tightly, rub her back, and tell her "it's going to be ok"? It's what he'd do with Sydney.
Then he remembers that Nadia has sought a father to cling on to all her life. A father that, in a situation like this, would squeeze her tightly, rub her back, and tell her "it's going to be ok." And her father is him, and he's right here.
So Jack does exactly that. He wraps his other arm around Nadia, squeezes her a bit, gently rubs her back to try to calm her a bit, and calmly says "It's going to be ok. We're going to find her. I'll do everything I can do to find my granddaughter. You have my word."
Nadia looks up at Jack and stops sobbing. What he just did...what he just said...FELT like a father telling her that just now.
Jack looks back at her solemnly, but composed and realizes he was right: Nadia wanted him to say and do what he just did.
Nadia looks back down and hugs Jack, even squeezing him as she buries her the left side of her face in his chest. "Thank you so much..."
She wants to end the sentence with "...Dad." But an emotional moment like this would just be too awkward for that. So she leaves it at that.
Nadia eventually lets go of the hug and wipes some of her tears away. Jack, meanwhile, asks "Are there any buildings nearby that they could have been taken to?" Nadia thinks about her surroundings for a bit, then shakes her head. "No. We're a quarter mile away from anything resembling a building."
Suddenly, it hits Nadia. Maria, Julieta, and Emilio aren't even in San Felipe! The fact that Julieta's still-buckled seat tells them that she may have been still sitting there when they teleported out of there.
But where did they go?
Nadia tells Jack "They're gone! They're not even in town anymore! They teleported out of here and went...who knows where?"
Jack doesn't respond immediately to that. Instead, he tries to think of places they could have gone. There's Arvin Sloane, Irina Derevko, and Mitch Hayes that are confirmed to be a part of this kidnapping scheme. He knows Arvin's places well...at least he thinks he does. But has no idea on Irina or Mitch. But, he does know two people that do.
Mary Falk knew Irina better than anyone in the last year or so of her life, which would provide a more accurate portrayal of where her properties are. And Tom Falk knows Mitch from their time together in the Anti-Cartel.
Jack then suggests "We should go see Tom and Mary. They should be meeting at the orphanage as we speak." Nadia lets out a deep sigh and leans her forehead on her hand that's propped up on her knee. "Tom...this could all have been averted if it weren't for him. I don't think we should..."
Jack cuts her off. "The man made a mistake. I'm sure he realizes it and he's probably crucifying himself over it as we speak. How long are you going to hate him and forsake everything you've been through together over this?" Nadia looks up at Jack and resolutely says "As long as my baby is missing. Maria is everything to me. And if she were to die because of this...I'd have eternity to look forward to without her! Eternity without my child! All because Tom couldn't trust Laurent when he should have. If something happens to Maria, I'll never forgive him. Never."
Jack goes to say something, but Nadia cuts him off. "Why do you think we should go see them, anyway?" Jack replies "I know where Arvin's properties are, Mary knows where Irina's properties are, and Tom knows where Mitch could hide hostages. I know you're angry at him, but we need to do this together."
Nadia despondently nods and says "Ok. Let's go." Nadia then springs up out of the backseat of the van and walks out, followed closely by Jack.
She tells the assassins closest to her "Come on, we're going to the orphanage. We'll drop you off there." Both assassins nod their heads and follow Nadia and Jack to the car.
? (Elysium)
"Did you get Nadia?"
Of course, that's what Sloane leads off with. Not a "hello" or "what's your status?" No, he has to lead off by asking about the one thing Mitch didn't get.
Irina doesn't break her cool, however. She simply replies "No, we got her best friend instead." Sloane SLAMS the door behind him and irately asks "Her best friend?" Sloane looks over Irina's shoulder at Mitch down the hallway, who has since lowered his iPad and is now looking at Sloane with great interest.
Irina says "She looked a lot like Nadia from behind. Even Mitch agreed." Sloane gets back in Irina's face. "But it's not Nadia, is it? IS IT?" Irina's cool glare has now turned into an irritated one. "Don't talk to me like I'm one of your SD-6 subordinates. We still got their daughter...along with her friend from the orphanage in San Felipe."
Sloane lowers his head and lets out a sigh. "We don't have Nadia, but we do have three people Nadia and Tom care about. Were there any casualties?" Irina snaps "Of course there were, Arvin. That's what you wanted, right?" Sloane looks up quickly at Irina. "I wanted Nadia and Maria by any costs, and if death was the price to pay, then so be it."
Irina tells Sloane "The two Storm Crew guards were shot in the head by Mitch. He did his job and he wasn't detected. He caught the hostages completely unawares. But I didn't want any casualties, Arvin!" Sloane raises an eyebrow and asks "Why not? Did you really think that this mission would have resulted in anything BUT chaos if those two men weren't killed?"
Irina shakes his head. "No, but killing two of Tom's best friends will incite him even more." Sloane just replies "Good." Irina shakes her head again. "No, not good. Il Credo Divino has been out of the picture for a while. I think there was a disagreement between Tom and Laurent L'Andre of some sort. This kind of thing would reunite them."
Sloane asks "Why would there be a disagreement?" Now, Irina has tip-toed around the whole Cesar thing, but she knows it's coming soon. She looks up at the Exit sign above the door, sighs, and then looks down at Sloane and says "Cesar tried to attack Nadia. He was killed, and I overheard an argument between Tom and Laurent on their front lawn where Tom accused Laurent of not taking precautions when it came to Cesar's death."
Sloane snarls "Why didn't you tell me about this? I thought it was both Mitch and Cesar going in!" Irina lies "Because I just heard the argument this morning! Cesar has been missing for days and this confirmed what I suspected. I think he wanted to rape Nadia. After we crossed the portal, it was obvious."
Just about everything in that statement, except her suspicions of Cesar (which she probably embellished a bit) is a complete and total lie. Irina knows what happened to Cesar and when it happened. But she decides to keep her communications with Mary Falk a secret.
The question now is: Does Sloane buy it?
On the surface, it appears so. After mulling things over a little, he just nods and says "Alright. Then what Mitch did today was truly magnificent. I'm going to go talk to him and congratulate him." Irina just nods and says "I have to talk to the hostages and make sure ground rules are covered."
And then, Irina realizes something. "Where is my sister?" Sloane, who was starting to walk past Irina, stops and says "Elena's trying to find Julian Sark and Kelly Peyton. They both haven't reported in for some time. I left her alone to deal with that and told her not to come."
Irina curiously asks "Do you think they're going into business for themselves?" An unsure Sloane replies "I don't know. I wouldn't put it past Sark to align an army for his purposes. Perhaps Kelly too, although she was a far more loyal soldier than Sark ever was. But what is their endgame if that is indeed the case? What would there be to gain? The people in this realm have no need for mercenaries, especially ones as unreliable as Mexican gangsters. But that's Elena's problem now. Let's worry about our own."
Sloane leads the way down he hallway. He walks up to Mitch, still seated on his chair, and pats him on the back. "Good job today. I just learned that you were shorthanded." Mitch replies "Yeah, Cesar would have made things easier if he were sane. Today he might have been a liability."
Sloane and Mitch continue their conversation as Irina teleports into Maria and Emilio's room. Her sudden appearance causes the two kids to jump off their cots and shriek out of surprise.
Irina squats down and asks "Are you two hungry?" Maria just shrugs while Emilio nods his head quickly. Julieta would be the first to tell you about Emilio's big appetite. Irina calmly asks "What would you two like for dinner?" Maria looks at her for a bit, then hides behind Emilio with a bit of a childish groan, afraid to answer because she doesn't trust Irina yet. Emilio doesn't answer, either, but starts sharing Maria's worry.
Irina looks down at the ground and meekly says "Listen, I know you don't like this situation. I know you probably don't like me, either. But there's two men outside that door that have nothing but bad things planned, and I'm trying to protect you from that." Emilio asks "What's going to happen?"
Irina smiles as she looks up and replies "Nothing if I have my way. Except that you'll be home this time tomorrow." Maria reemerges from behind Emilio and whines "I want to go home now! My mommy and daddy always tuck me in to bed and I miss them!"
Irina sighs and says "I'm sorry, Maria. But this is the only way to protect you. One night...one night only...and this will all be over before you know it." Maria thinks for a bit. Irina hasn't come across as very threatening to her at all. In fact, she actually seems kinda...nice.
Maria gulps, then asks "You promise?" Irina gives Maria a calm smile and says "I promise." Emilio asks "You're not going to hurt us or Julieta?" Irina looks over at Emilio with that same calm smile. "I promise that, too."
Emilio gives Irina a faint smile, perhaps starting to feel what Maria is feeling about Irina: that she may be trustworthy. Irina's calm and friendly demeanor is starting to win them over.
Suddenly, Emilio asks "Can I have lasagna?" Maria nods quickly and says "Yeah, I want lasagna too!" Irina smirks at the both of them. "Lasagna, huh? I think I can accommodate that. Would you like some milk to go along with that?" Emilio and Maria both say "Uh-huh!" at the same time.
Irina lets out a chuckle at the cuteness of the kids saying that in unison. Then, she says "Ok. I'll go see what Julieta wants and I'll be back as soon as I can."
Maria then steps forward and asks "Irina?" Irina stands up and asks "What?" Maria looks down at the ground and says "Can you read us a story before we go to bed? Mommy always reads me a story and you sound like Mommy."
Irina can't help but crack a warm smile at the request as well as the comparison to Nadia. She thought for sure the kids would be a problem tonight, but it seems like they're warming up to her already. Perhaps its her natural maternal instinct that is radiating out of her...that very maternal instinct that she couldn't use for most of her life thanks to the KGB. Being a motherly figure makes her feel good. It always did.
Irina nods and says "I'll tell you two a story when you're ready for bed. But I don't need a book to tell it to you. I've got it stored up here." She points to her brain. Emilio and Maria both crack cautious smiles at her.
Finally, Irina disappears to teleport into Julieta's room, causing Julieta to jump up just as she did the kids. "You scared me! Geez, I thought you were going to come in through the door!" Irina sighs and says "Sorry about that. Arvin and Mitch are talking outside the door and I don't want them, especially Arvin, to know what I'm doing."
Julieta asks "What ARE you doing?" Irina replies "The kids want lasagna for dinner. I'm going to get them that and some milk. Would you like anything special for dinner?"
Julieta gives Irina an incredulous stare. In life, she actually was in situations like this a couple of times. Whether it was an unsavory customer holding her hostage or her languishing in Argentine prison for trying to steal from the grocery store, she has experience in this situation.
And never, in any one of those times, did her captors ask if she wanted anything special for dinner.
Julieta thinks for a bit, then, still a bit surprised, says "Lasagna and milk would be fine for me. I just wish I had something to do in this...place. The kids got their Leapfrog after all." Irina folds her arms and asks "Do you want me to grab you a book?"
That causes a lightbulb to go off in Julieta's head. "I've been reading a series called 'The Hunger Games.' I was just starting the second book, 'Catching Fire'. I don't know if..." Irina cuts her off. "Done. But I only ask one thing in return for this book." Julieta lets out a groan. Requests like that usually end in bad news in situations like this. "What do you want?"
But Irina's request catches her completely off guard. "I'd like to sit down with you and learn what Nadia was like as a child."
Julieta lets out a gasp. This confirms what she thought she knew. "You ARE her mother!" Irina gives her a funny look at that comment. "I thought you would have known when I said my name. Does Nadia not talk about me?" Julieta shakes her head. "Not very much. She really didn't have a relationship with you...she talked about Sloane every once in a while, but she never said much about you."
That comment appears to dismay Irina a lot. A sadness takes over Irina's face. She looks down at the ground and says "Maybe you can shed some light on the child I should have raised. I'd appreciate it if you would."
At this point, Julieta can't help but feel a little pity for this woman standing in front of her, scars on part of her face, obscuring her elegant beauty. But perhaps those scars are reflective of some sort of grief that Irina feels over Nadia. Julieta can relate to that, since she's ran into mothers who died at the same time as their children coming to the San Felipe orphanage to claim their young loved ones. They wore similar grief on their faces, too.
With a faint understanding smile, Julieta tells Irina "If you get me all that...I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Nadia has been my best friend all my life, and I would love to tell you how wonderful she is." Irina smiles and looks back up at Julieta. "Thank you. I'll be back with your food and book."
This time, Irina goes out of the room through the front door. When she gets out to the hallway, she notices Sloane is leaving and Mitch is back to being seated. She turns right to follow Sloane down the hallway and asks "Arvin, where are you going?" Sloane stops and turns to face her. "You two have things under control here. You don't need me." Irina lets out an angry gasp and says "This all was your idea! And now you're just...leaving?"
Sloane just glares at her for a couple seconds, turns to look at the door, then back at Irina. "Yes. I'm leaving. I'll be back tomorrow." Irina asks again "Where are you going?" Sloane coldly says "None of your business."
And before Irina can ask anything more, Sloane decides to dispense with the formalities of walking out a door and teleports away.
Irina turns to Mitch, who has a much more relaxed look on his face than before. "Did he tell you where he's going?" Mitch just shrugs. "No." Irina sighs in dismay, then says "Ok, I'm going to get us and the hostages dinner. I'll be back in a while. Keep an eye on them." Mitch just chuckles and says "What else am I going to do?"
Irina teleports away herself, but just to the outside of the building they're in.
We see that the building indeed was a restaurant at some point, maybe a nice formal place like a steakhouse. But that's not very clear because there's no signage on the building, which is located in the midst of a typical modern suburban setting with other stores around. It appears that they're in America somewhere, but it's unclear where since the surroundings aren't particularly noteworthy.
BEEP BEEP!
That sound comes from the cell phone that's in her pocket. Irina pulls the phone out and she sees she has a text...
...from "Blackbird". Oh boy.
Irina flips open the phone and reads the text from Mary Falk: "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"
Irina closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She knew she'd have to cross this bridge at some point. She looks back down at the phone and types "Relax. The orphan mother and children are safe."
A couple seconds later, she receives another text from Mary. "You took them hostage! Damn you, Irina! DAMN YOU!" Irina thinks for a bit, then says "You should really be thanking me for doing what I'm doing."
A few seconds later, Mary texts back "Oh you arrogant bitch! You take my granddaughter and you have the nerve to tell me you're doing me a favor? You told me you'd leave my family alone! We had a deal!" Irina quickly texts back "No, you asked that I not hurt your family. Maria is unharmed, as are the others. I apologize for the two Storm Crew men, it was not my intent to see them harmed. But our deal is still intact, and I will still live up to that deal when the three are returned safely and unharmed. I promise that they will not be harmed. Keep your phone handy, you'll have instructions tomorrow."
Mary texts back "Tomorrow? Is that for real or are you just screwing with me?" Irina replies "For real. In fact, when this is over, you'll be thanking me. I'll give Tom and Nadia something that they'll want."
After a few seconds, Mary texts "What are you going to give them?"
Irina looks back at the side door of the restaurant. She tries to visualize Mitch Hayes sitting on his chair, looking at an iPad. She grins wide.
Finally, Irina texts back "Mitch Hayes."
END OF CHAPTER